Oscillator for magnetos



H. 0.PUTT. OSCILLATOR FOR MAGNETOS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20. 1922.

gvwemioo Patented July 25, 1922 2 SHEETS-SHEET H 0. PUT-T.

OSCILLATOR FOR MAGNETOS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20; 1922.

Patented July 25, 1922 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES HARLIE O. PUTT, OF ELKI-IART, INDIANA.

OSCILLATOR FOR MAGNETOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1922.

Originalapplication filed December 9, 19-19, Serial No. 343,542. Divided and this application filed February 20, 1922. Serial No. 538,008. v

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARLIE 0. Port, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elkhart, in the county of Elkhart and State ofsubject of a decision favorable to me in. In-' terference No. 44869.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel oscillator for use in oscillating the magneto armature back and forth in a definite degree to generate the ignition spark in low speed motors or gas engines and to utilize in such a device a novel cushion spring construction so arranged that when the oscillator is at rest, or in normal position, there is no stress or tension on the spring, thus adding to the efficiency of the instrument. It is further my object to provide an instrument which may be manufactured very cheaply. It is further my object to provide a structure which is dustproof and which is so constructed that it may be packed with lubricant to reduce wear and friction.

I attain these and other objects of my invention by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of my oscillator, partly in elevation;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail front elevation of members 6, 7, and 6 and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of members 6, 7 and 6*.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, I provide a winding and cushion coiled spring 1 mounted in a suitable manner so that its opposite ends will operatively exert tension in opposite directions on and actuate the stop 7 and thereby the trigger 6 Coiled spring 1 is suitably mounted as in housing 2.

- The housing 2 is provided with slotted stops 3 integral with or rigidly fixed to the housing, and which serves as a stop for suitable buttons 4, against which the opposite ends of the coiled spring 1 abut. The housing 2 is preferably formed of sheet metal.

I provide a novel winding disk 6 which cast with a stud 7. and a trigger 6. Stud 7 is of such size and shape as to admit of its insertion between the slotted stop 3 and button 4, whereby the winding disc may be actuated and its rebound absorbed by the coil spring 1, which is in operative engagement with the buttons 4-. The buttons 4 are freely movable in the housing 2, as indicated in Fig. 2.

Armature shaft 14 is the standard taper magneto shaft and to it is keyed, by key 11 the winding disc 6. The housing is rigidly fastened to the magneto frame in any suitable manner. Member 15 designates the outer housing member. Member 17 designates a suitable trip or cam, mounted on camshaft 18 of the engine, and adapted to engage the trigger (5 to produce the oscillation of the winding disc back and forth a definite degree. 7

Fig. 2 shows the relative position of the armature of the ma neto in relation to the magnet poles, and while the whole structure is neutral or at rest while the camshaft of the engine rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow, the cam 17 engages trigger 6 and forces it over a definite degree, thus compressing the spring 1 by means of the stud 7 of the winding disc 6, which is rigidly attached to the armature shaft 14 by key 11 This action slowly moves the armature over into the magnetic field, thus causing the iron core of said armature to become magnetically saturated, and, as the cam continues to rotate until the trigger 6 slips off from the cam, the spring 1 being compressed at this instant, is suddenly released and drives the stud 7 together with the armature back to the neutral position, namely the position shown in Fig. 2. The inertia of the armature is sufficient tocause the stud 7 to engage the opposite steel button 3. and compress the spring 1 in the opposite direction sufliciently to permit the armature core to enter the opposite magnetic field, thus in stantly reversing the magnetic polarity of the said armature core and thereby generating an electrical impulse or current wave in the winding of said armature, which is available for ignition purposes in a manner well known to those skilled in the art.

The oscillator is universal: it may be operated in either a right hand or left hand direction without any changes in its construction.

It Will be observed that when the oscillator is at rest or normal position there is no stress or tension 011 the spring a condition not obtained in prior types of oscillators; and this improvement adds to the efficiency of the instrument in respect to increased life of Wearing parts and increased sensitiveness.

In some installations of this structure it may be that the cam shaft 18 is necessarily positioned at either side of the magneto or directly above, instead of immediately under the magneto, in which case I can position my trigger 6 so as to conform to any requirement. In other words the. til er 6 may be positioned to normally rest at any degree throughout the arc of its movement, by simply keying it to the shaft of the magneto in any desired position and then locating the housing 2 to conform.

This fact makes installation of the structure including the magneto adaptable to a "wide range of conditions respecting the loca tion of the magneto on an engine, for it is frequently impossible to locate the magneto directly over the cam shaft.

The term coiled spring as used in this specification is to be broadly construed a generic term.

What I claim is:

An oscillating mechanism for a magneto or other electric current generator, the mechanism comprising a pair of oscillating members, a coiled spring connected at its ends to saio men'ibers, an arm operatively connected with the magneto shaft and adapted to move either member from its normal position against the tension of said spring, whereby the actuated member will impart an accelerated return movement to said arm under the action of the tensioned spring, and means for holding either member against movement curing the operation of the other member.

HARLIE O. PUTT. 

